Intravenous (IV) catheters are well known in the medical field and are used for a wide variety of applications including hydration and administration of medications, feeding and blood transfusions. A typical intravenous infusion system includes a catheter for penetrating the skin and underlining vein of the patient usually in the patient's forearm or hand, a source of fluid and flexible plastic tubing interconnecting the source of fluid and the intravenous catheter. It is common practice to secure the intravenous catheter and a portion of its associated flexible tubing to the limb of the patient to minimize movement of the catheter relative to the limb. This is normally accomplished with adhesive tape. A loop is normally formed in the end of the flexible tubing that connects to the intravenous catheter. It is important that the loop be secured to the limb of the patient in a manner so as to avoid kinking the flexible tubing which would result in a shut-off of the fluid through the tubing. In the past various arrangements have been proposed for securing the catheter and tubing to the patient so as to avoid kinking and unnecessary movement. Examples of various prior art devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,059,645, 3,942,528, 4,976,698 and 5,116,324. Such prior art devices require separate apparatus for maintaining the "U" in the flexible tubing. While such prior art devices appear to be successful in maintaining the "U" in the flexible tubing, they have left something to be desired in regard to bulk and comfort of the patient.
It will be understood that the majority of IV placements are made around the areas of the wrist and the back of the hand of the patient. The obtrusiveness of the tubing loop or any separate for maintaining the "U" in the flexible tubing makes the IV placement quite vulnerable due to random movements of the hand and arm. Displacement of the IV catheter can be quite serious, especially when a patient is very ill and available veins for placement of the catheter are at a minimum. It would be desirable to provide the flexible tubing with a rigid U-shaped section for connection to an intravenous catheter. This would eliminate the bulk of any extra apparatus, permit the use of a smaller U-shaped section and still permit the intravenous catheter and associated flexible tubing to be secured to the patient's limb with adhesive tape for a light weight connection.